By Lisa Rapaport (Reuters Health) – Many elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment experienced better brain function after a “fitness” program designed to sharpen their minds, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers put 127 elderly people on what they called a brain fitness regimen for 12 weeks that included meditation training, cognitive behavior therapy, and education about the Mediterranean diet, exercise, stress reduction and proper sleep habits. By the end of the program, 84% of participants experienced significant improvements in cognitive function, researchers reported in a paper released online February 5 in the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The popular low-carbohydrate, high-fat ‘Paleo’ diet can cause weight gain and predispose followers to diabetes, say researchers, who recommend a Mediterranean diet instead.